ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH AN ELEVATED AND TEXTURIZED DISPLAY

• US 20170364256A1
• Filed: 09/04/2017
• Published: 12/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haptic Synergy LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: HJ Laboratories, LLC
• Inventors: Vartanian, Harry, Jurikson-Rhodes, Jaron
• Granted Patent: US 10,191,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/85 characterised by tactile feedback features
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2215/05 electromechanical
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2215/052 piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/006 : Different feeling for different switch sites
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/038 : Prompting
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9643 : using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard

Abstract

An electronic device may have a multi-touch display device and a texturizing polymer layer. The texturizing polymer layer can elevate a surface portion of the texturizing polymer layer to a level to texturize information displayed on the multi-touch display device. A gesture may be detected for the elevated surface portion.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a multi-touch display device, wherein a texturizing polymer layer is situated above the multi-touch display device and the multi-touch display device is substantially rigid;

a controller further configured to control the texturizing polymer layer to elevate a surface portion to a level to texturize a key on a keyboard displayed on the multi-touch display device; and

a sensor configured to detect a gesture on the elevated surface portion, wherein the gesture applies pressure or force to a part of the elevated surface portion and the gesture includes a touch input of the elevated surface portion.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the gesture is further based on a finger force applied to a top of the elevated surface portion.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the gesture is further based on a detected pull by a pinch input or a detected scrolling input of the elevated surface portion.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising:

a motion sensor or an orientation sensor configured to detect an orientation change; and

circuitry configured to update the elevation of the elevated surface portion based on the detected orientation change.

5. A method performed by an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a multi-touch display device of the electronic device, inputs, wherein a texturizing polymer layer is situated above the multi-touch display device and the multi-touch display device is substantially rigid;

controlling, by a controller, the texturizing polymer layer to elevate a surface portion to a level to texturize a key on a keyboard displayed on the multi-touch display device; and

detecting a gesture on the elevated surface portion, wherein the gesture applies pressure or force to a part of the elevated surface portion and the gesture includes a touch input of the elevated surface portion.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the gesture is further based on a finger force applied to a top of the elevated surface portion.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the gesture is further based on a detected pull by a pinch input or a detected scrolling input of the elevated surface portion.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

detecting, by a motion sensor or an orientation sensor, an orientation change; and

updating the elevation of the elevated surface portion based on the detected orientation change.